There will be articles and photos on the site from myself and Andrew, but I wanted to share a few thoughts on notes with the practice.
*** All three elite cornerbacks--Christopher Henderson, Trajan Bandy, and Josh Jobe--were impressive in various drills including seven-on-sevens. Look for Columbus to run a lot of Cover Zero this season forcing teams into difficult mismatch problems.
*** If you're asking me to pick just one, I'm taking 2017 CB Trajan Bandy. He is a very impressive player who competes, plays with a passion, is skilled, and tough. I also like his leadership abilities and believe he's the heart and soul of the team. He looked very fluid in practice, high-pointed the ball on defensive back drills, moved well with good change of direction, and did a nice job fielding the ball on returns. I have seen a lot of impressive cornerbacks in South Florida over the years and he is as good as it gets. Just to add one final note, Bandy will be the one guarding opposing team's top receiver. Think about that.
*** I am also very impressed with 2018 CB Josh Jobe. I liked what I saw from him at events in the offseason and he certainly did well during practice tonight. His best play came on an interception during seven-on-sevens in which he was on the outside and an corner post route from the slot receiver was thrown in his direction. He backpedaled, made great traction on the ball, and leaped with both hands to make an impressive catch. Jobe also looked good in DB drills and is an excellent physical specimen at the position. Just to note, he was wearing Alabama gloves in practice and said afterwards he was doing it just for fun.
*** 2017 CB Christopher "CJ" Henderson is a great-looking athlete, but I'm not as high on him as I am the other two. I just want to see more from him. He certainly has the physical attributes you're looking for in terms of size, length, and speed and there's a reason why he's a highly-regarded player. I just want to see more. Merritt told me after practice Henderson reminds him of Deion Sanders in the way that he baits quarterbacks in giving receivers space downfield and then breaks on the ball. Henderson showed off his elite physical abilities on the final play of practice while playing running back and catching a swing pass that he caught in stride and raced up the sidelines, which I expect we will see plenty this season.
So those are the big three prospects at Columbus, but they have more.
*** Let's start with 2017 QB Marcelo Rodriguez. I saw him throw one pass and I was immediately hooked. Rodriguez (6-2, 195) has a great arm and the ball looks great coming out of his hand. He has a very easy fluid throwing motion and the ball gets there in a hurry. Rodriguez is a relative unknown in South Florida. He verbally committed to Southern Miss in June after visiting the school and he says he's locked in and no other schools have expressed interest. Rodriguez is fairly new to the scene after transferring to Columbus from Miami High where he threw for over 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns last season with his top receiver being Pie Young. Rodriguez is one to keep a close eye on.
*** 2018 WR Tyler Harrell looks to be Rodriguez's top target. Harrell did a good job running routes in drills and has good length at the wideout position. He will be looking for a breakout season.
*** 2019 RB/WR Darren Davis is a very competitive and fiery player who was constantly jawing with the upperclassmen. Davis is a transfer from Southridge who rushed for 600 yards as a freshman and he is the nephew of former Iowa State/Southridge standout Troy Davis. Darren did a good job of running routes and showing his athletic abilities. During an RB drill he impressed the coach and his teammates when he took a bad toss and snagged it with one hand. After practice he asked Rodriguez if he wanted to throw some more, which was a good sign, although he will have to continue to mature as a player.
*** 2018 LB Kristopher Trapp is one to keep an eye on after transferring in from Gulliver Prep.
*** 2020 LB Courtney Holmes recently picked up a Michigan offer. I didn't watch him in practice, but was informed of the offer afterwards.
